


bury a friend

by the_one_n_only_54



Series: Daddy Stark Doo Doo Doo Doo [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Everybody Feels, Gen, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, No Beta We All Die, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Poor Tony Stark, Protective Harley Keener, Protective James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Protective Peter Parker, Self-Hatred, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Has Nightmares, Tony Stark Has Self-Esteem Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, everybody needs a hug, protective shuri
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:01:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27734998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_one_n_only_54/pseuds/the_one_n_only_54
Summary: What do you want from me?Why don't you run from me?What are you wondering?What do you know?Why aren't you scared of me?Why do you care for me?When we all fall asleep, where do we go?---When the 3 Gremlins were first introduced in Tony Stark's life, he didn't know how to feel. He had never had so many people... care for him. It was like getting introduced to the Avengers all over again- a group of misfits that somehow were like a family that Tony had never known....he was scared.He wasn't used to being cared for, loved, understood so well. And Peter, Harley, and Shuri had managed to find a way to find a soft place in his cold heart.He was confused. He was scared. Because he didn't understand why a monster like him deserved to be loved.These are the stories of when Tony's life changes when 3 teens step inside his world.(inspired by billie's song)
Series: Daddy Stark Doo Doo Doo Doo [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1991758
Comments: 3
Kudos: 19





	bury a friend

**Author's Note:**

> I'm in an angsty mood, so what's better than throwing your favorite character into a pool of despair?  
> Give me a chance, y'all. I think I did okay?  
> Btw I don't have a beta, so feel free to point out wherever I've made mistakes!
> 
> Think of this as the Tony Stark Angst Central

Anthony Edward Stark was your typical genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist. He was a textbook-narcissist, with an inflated ego that competed with an inflated Cameron Balloon. All flashy smiles and small talks and rubbing fingers itching for the green paper notes- your run-of-the-mill businessman. He was good at his job, no doubt- the Stark Industries hadn't grown to be one of the best companies for no reason, but except that? He was cold, ruthless, drowning on money and living in his own built Utopia.

...that's what they thought, at least.

Tony, from a child, had been seen as the son of Howard Stark, the multimillionaire business tycoon. It had never been 'Tony', or 'Anthony', it was always 'Tony _Stark'_ and ' _Howard Stark's_ son'. Nobody seemed to realise that Tony was not his father, not just a Stark, that he was different, but everybody seemed to have a stereotypical image of the son of the rich kid, and they involved 4 words- _girls, money,_ _booze,_ and _party._

So that's what he grew as- girls, money, booze, and party.

He was sassy, and smart. He had the looks, so he would get the girls. He had the money, no question there. And booze seemed to be a lifelong supply at the Stark household. Alcohol was the beacon for parties, ad he had a sweet home as well, so there was that.

He had all the elements, so why would he bother to be more? Why would he bother to be more than girls, money, party, and booze?

So he didn't.

Tony had been shipped to boarding school as soon as he had turned 7, then thrown into Massachusetts Institute of Technology when he was 15, an age when people worry more about attending sophomore parties and less about physics and electronic engineering. He was always in a different league, being a child prodigy and all, so he never had time to interact with kids his age. So he didn't have many friends, really.

Then as he grew up, he developed his image as the narcissist-playboy, so he had made the quick jump from friends to friends-with-benefits while missing the former stage.  
  


Home...

Home was a different story all-together.

His father, being the _great Howard Stark_ , was too engrossed in his business empire to care about his son. He would spend his time either holed up in work, in his study, or in a foreign trip abroad. He had too many other projects to juggle with, rather than watching his son say his first words. He was on his way to Tokyo for a business conference when his son took his first steps. He was handling financial portfolios when his son left for boarding school. He was too intoxicated to bid his son farwell as he left for the grounds of MIT. And was too busy knocking on hell's door when he graduated.

Did he mention intoxicated?

Yes.

Business lead to huge amounts and tension and stress, so Howard chose to cope with it with the the miraculous wonders of alcohol. At the times he was actually present at home premises, he was far too drunk to communicate with his son.

Communicate in words, that is. Belts and fists never ceased to fail.

The only words he had ever successfully communicated with Tony, were 3 statements:

_Stark men are made of iron._

_Stark men do not break._

_Stark men do not cry._

And Tony did everything he could to follow them.

Maria Stark was a sweet woman, who Tony loved dearly. While his father would remain absent during a majority of his life, Tony's mother was always there for him. She had tears of joy in her eyes when a 11-month year old Tony softly uttered 'Mama' in her ear. She was sobbing with joy when the 2-year old stumbled towards her, giggling with each step. She was quietly sobbing as she watched her 7-year old sit in a black limousine as it took off with him.

However, then things changed. While Tony was gone, the 9 years of living with a drunk of a husband had sucked away her light. Daily fights made her grow weary and tired. Drunken brawls made her silently weep. A house absent of her son and husband made her quiet. Loneliness drive her to depression, and pills grew as her lifeline.

Whenever Tony visited home from school, he would notice his mama grow more and more distant from him before all she felt like was a ghost drifting in the house.

The last 'good' memory he had with his mother was when he was 11, curled in his mama's bed as he rubbed the dark bruises formed on his face and arms, swiping tears out of his eyes while Maria held him close, letting him bury his face into her nightgown. Tony was doing his best not to cry, but the night had been especially rough, so his eyes kept getting wet. He kept wiping his eyes furiously, trying to stop the tears, when his mother caught his wrists and looked at him. Her grip was gentle, her gaze was warm, but firm as she looked at him with meaning.

 _"Ascolmati, Antonio,"_ she said, her words soft, but like her eyes, they held seriousness in them. **Listen to me, Antonio.**

Tony was always _Tonio_ or _Antonio_ to her, never _Anthony_ or _Tony_. Tony loved that.

_"Lascia cadere le lacrime. Va bene piangere. Piangere non è una debolezza e non ti rende meno forte di quanto sei."_

**Let the tears fall. It's okay to cry. Crying is not a weakness, and doesn't make you less stronger than you are.**

By the end, her words were a whisper, a powerful whisper. She then wrinkled her nose.

"Your father speaks nonsense," she said furiously. "He may be good at business, but he will never be a good father."

Her gaze then grew milder, as she grazed her finger across a dark mark on his cheek, then pulled him in a tight embrace, into which Tony willingly went.

"Mio piccolo bambino," she whispered, planting a kiss in his brown curls. **My little child.**

She slowly rocked him to sleep, while singing an Italian lullaby under her breath. She had a lovely voice, sweet and silky and warm like honey. 

_"Ninna nanna,"_ she sang. _"Ninna oh,"_

_"Questo bimbo a chi lo dò ?_

_Se lo dò alla Befana,_

_Se lo tiene una settimana._

_Se lo dò all'uomo nero,_

_Se lo tiene un anno intero._

_Ninna nanna, ninna oh,_

_Questo bimbo me lo terrò!"_

She sang it, over and over into his hair, her words washing over her like the gentle waves of the ocean. He could feel himself growing drowsy as sleep dragged his eyelids lower and lower.

The last thing he remembered from that night was when he was in bed, his eyes opening at an un-earthy hour. He was alone, and his eyes flew open as he searched for his mama. Then he heard the notes of a piano drift into his room and he relaxed. Mama used to play the piano, and like her singing, it was godly. She taught him to play it too, making him sit between her lap and putting her fingers on his as she helped him play. The notes were gentle, smooth, but held sorrow. They were sad and painful, reminding him of dark rainy days and black clouds. He slowly drifted at the sound of the ivory keys sliding down, the music lulling him to sleep.

After that, things were never the same.

So yeah, that was home life. A typical, fucked-up soap opera. _Boo hoo._

Then came the MIT years. Tony Stark was a 15-year old teenager with a big brain and equally big mouth. He wasn't a scrawny teenager, thank god. He had his mama's Italian tanned skin, her heterochromatic brown eyes that swirled with gold, her chocolate brown hair that fell in waves. He had his father's smile, his brain, and sarcasm. He was a lean-built young guy, not too bulky, not too skinny. He was on the shorter scale of height, but made it up with Stark charm and dazzling grin that made girls swoon left and right. _Yeah, he was good to go._

MIT was the era of the wildest parties, hottest girls, and hardest liquor. It was also the year he made a friend.

No, not like the other friends he had, who stuck along with him for the fame, money, party and kegs. No, a _friend_ friend.

A _friend_ friend who was also known as James Rhodes.

Thing was, Tony never knew what a _friend_ friend was, really. For him, friends were those who either spent money with him, smoked pot, did keg stands or come with benefits. He never had a friend to _care_ for him.

Rhodey _(yes, that's what he had called him from day 1 at campus. 'James Rhodes' sounded like some military official who was about to frog-march him to prison)_ took him time to understand. The guy was friendly with him ever since he met him, was always nice to him, and took care of him. He never asked for money, beer, or contacts to his father's company. He took care of his liquor consumption, coffee intake, kept an eye on his sleep schedule, and made sure he ate.

He... took _care_ of him. _Without asking him for anything!_

This was too good to be true.

So one day, Tony couldn't take it anymore.

"Ok, that's it," the 15-year old teen said with finality in his words, snapping his aerodynamics textbook shut and spinning in his chair to face the occupant of one of the twin beds. He saw Rhodey turn away from the essay he was writing on hydraulic motors and look at him, his brow wrinkled.

"What's it?" Rhodey asked, confusion lacing his voice. Tony fought the urge to roll his eyes. _He's really gonna play it out, huh?_

"What do you want?"

Rhodey blinked at him. "What?"

"What... do... you... want?" he repeated slowly. He was met with a blank face.

"Tones, what do you mean?" Rhodey asked, his eyebrows scrunching together. Tony examined his face. He could tell he wasn't faking it; he genuinely looked and sounded confused.

Tony sighed.

"Look, what do you want from me? I know you aren't doing all of this without a price."

Rhodey still looked at him, a hint of concern in his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but Tony cut through him.

"You've been acting super nice to me ever since we've met. You've been really friendly with me, and joking around with me. You make sure that I sleep, eat, don't get myself to drunk. Hell, you even offered to help me out if I didn't understand something! Now, there's no way you're doing this without a catch, so what is your deal? Do you want money? We're at campus right now, but I can get some arranged when I get home. If you want liquor, I can hit you up with this really nice dealer I know? Chicks? Don't know yet, but I'll let you know."

Rhodey was staring at him, his eyes wide and mouth agape. But he didn't say anything. Tony squirmed in his slippers. _He must want something really good then. I don't blame him, he's done more for me than anyone I've known._

"Do you... do you want contacts to SI?" Tony asked. "Like I said, when I get home during summer break, I'll ask Obi to drop in your name. Maybe you can get a position in- your resumé's pretty good. Or, uh," Tony swallowed- there was one thing that only Sunset Bain and Tiberius Stone had done. "...do you want to get in bed with me? I-I haven't really done that deal with many people, but I could-"

 _"Stop!"_ Rhodey cried out suddenly, causing Tony to flinch violently. He stumbled backwards, eyes wide because of the sudden outburst as he looked at Rhodey, who had sat up straight in his bed.

"Stop." he said, but this time his words were a whisper, sad and morose and begging. It reminded him of his mama playing the piano that day when he was 11. Tony looked at Rhodey, who slowly slid out of bed. The look on Rhodey's face was the one he saw in movies, the one that comes when something bad happens.

"Do you..." Rhodey said, his tone cautious. "Do you think I want something from you?"

Now it was Tony's turn to be confused.

"Well, yes," Tony said matter-of-factly. _What kind of a question was that?_ "Everyone wants something in return, what do you mean?"

Rhodey's expression suddenly turned from broken to chagrined. "Everyone?"

"Y-yeah." Tony felt nervous now. _What-did he say something wrong?_

He saw as the other boy's expression fell.

"Oh, Tony," he whispered, his voice sad once again, more pained than before. Tony's brain was jumbled like scrambled eggs- _what?!_

"What is it?!" Tony asked. Rhodey just shook his head, then crossed the room in 3 long strides and wrapped his hands around Tony and pulled him in a hug.

Tony's body went stiff, but his muscles slowly loosened as the older boy rubbed circles between his shoulder blades. Then he pulled back, and held Tony at shoulder-lenght's distance.

"Tony," he said, his voice soft. "I don't want anything from you."

Tony frowned. "You... what?"

Rhodey shook his head and gave a small laugh, but it was sad. "I want to be your friend Tony, that's all. And friends care for each other, look out for each other, not..."

His face contorted in disgust as he shook his head. Tony averted his gaze, his feelings scattered.

"They don't ask for liquor, or money, or fame," Rhodey continued. "They don't ask for contacts or girls or... _get in the bed with you!"_ His words ended with a cry of outrage. "You're... you're my _brother_ , Tones- I would _never_ take advantage of you!"

Tony finally looked up at Rhodey, to see eyes filled with rage.

"Whoever did that to you..." he could feel the older boy's hands tremble on his shoulders. "I will kill them the next time I see them."

He shook his head, swearing softly under his breath as his eyes changed from harsh to gentle. He pulled Tony into an embrace again, and Tony didn't stiffen this time.

"You really will?" he asked from where his face was buried in Rhodey's shoulder.

"Oh, you bet I will," Rhodey said, his voice low and serious. "But right now?"

_"Right now I'll take care of you."_

Tony felt tears fall out of his eyes as he smiled. He didn't stop them.

**\---------**

Then life decides that the ripe age of 40 is a good time for 3 teens tumble into his life. 

Tony was older now, more mature and stronger. His life had been chucked into a washing machine, whirled around, and tossed out. He had a bomb explode in his face, shrapnel in his heart (which was now out thanks to surgery _but that's beside the point! He had metal shards in his heart!)_ , a super suit, and a group of super-misfits that consisted varieties from super soldiers to gamma monsters to a literal _god_. Quite literally what was his life? Tony had no idea.

By now he was used to his life- he definitely had more actual friends, and a goddess-in-disguise also known as Pepper Potts, but he still had his masks and insecurities and doubts. Even though he had lived with the Avengers for a good period of time now, he was always wary as to why they stuck around, why they never left.

 _Must be the free house, food, money and weaponry,_ Tony always thought even though Rhodey would strongly oppose.

But when the Gremlins came? Tony _honestly_ had no idea why they stuck around.

Harley? Tony had paid of his school, college and tuition fees, yet he still insisted to visit.

Peter? He'd given the kid his very own super suit, and readily gave the usual upgrades and fixings, but that didn't explain why he decided to hole up in the ceiling vents with Barton to quietly prank Steve.

Shuri? This is where Tony would be blank, since Wakanda had much better facilities, but the Princess was always to be spotted binge-watching Modern Family in the Avenger's common room.

It had been 3 months since they had been coming to his Tower, and his mind was buzzing as he absently tightened-and-untightened a screw on Dummy's support frame. _3 months, it's been 3 months and they still come, why are they still here, what do they want, nothing makes sense-_

"Tones?"

"Hm?"

Tony snapped out of his mind, giving his head a small shake before looking up to see Rhodey's worried face looking down at him.

"I asked if you're okay," Rhodey said, his brow creased.

Tony blinked, and then stretched his mouth into a smile. "Of course I am, Honey Bear. Why wouldn't I be?"

Rhodey slightly tilted his head to one side, concern visible in his eyes. "Because I've been watching you unscrewing that screw for over 15 minutes now."

Tony looked down to see a red screwdriver in his hand, its head fitted into the groove of a silver screw, half-turn till it was fully tightened. He gave a sigh, and turned it so it was in place, and watched as Dummy gave a little chirp and sped away to his other brothers, Butterfingers and U.

"I..." Tony turned the screwdriver between his fingers and gave another exhale of air. "I was just thinking."

"Yeah no shit, I could _hear_ you thinking all the way over till the lab door." Rhodey sat down on the edge of the table, placing one warm hand on Tony's shoulder and ducking his head down so that he came into his line of vision. "Wanna tell me what you were thinking about?"

He shook his head. "It's nothing, Platypus, trust me."

"Oh, with you it's _always_ _something_. Now tell me what's going on in your toxic genius brain."

Tony glared at him. "My brain's not _toxic."_

"Well, with the thoughts you have, it's as bad as a radiation plant."

Tony opened his mouth to quip back, then closed it as he looked down at his feet. _He wasn't exactly wrong._ "Not sure if you'll like what I'm thinking then," he said quiety.

Rhodey's hand grew firmer. "Well then that's all the more reason for me to know, Tones. Tell me, what's wrong?"

"I..." Tony hunched his shoulder forward slightly, bending down and folding into himself, trying to make himself smaller. "It's just... I don't get it."

At Rhodey's soft encouraging nod, he went on.

"I just don't get why the kids come here."

He heard Rhodey sigh. "Tony..."

"No, hear me out," Tony said, his voice a little stronger. "I get why you've been with me- you've just been stuck with my responsibilities."

"I'm not 'stuck with anything' To-"

"I even get why the Avengers live here- we're a 'team', Earth's Mightiest Heroes and shit. Sort of against their wills, but we don't have an option."

Rhodey made a protesting sound but Tony cut through him.

"But the kids? Why... why're _they_ here? What do they want? I love them to death, honestly, there is _nothing_ I wouldn't do for them, but there _has_ to be a reason they're here! What do they want, possibly? Are they here for the money? Luxury? Fame? I mean money I get it- I'm Tony Stark, of course you want the money. And the luxury, it's all free mill here. But that doesn't explain Shuri..."

Tony thought to that, ignoring Rhodey's attempts to speak.

"Wakanda has much better facilities than mine, and they are hell more rich... so it's gotta be the fame, right? I mean sure, Wakanda's awesome, but the Stark name is more wide-spread."

Tony nodded to himself- _that made sense._

"Definitely the fame, then. Adds up, makes perfect sense. I mean, why _else_ would any of them hang out with me? I'm not fun, or entertaining or anything..." he felt his heart slightly pain as he smiled sadly. "I love them, though, whatever it may be. Ever since they've been a part of my life, I've felt... better. _Happier._ There is literally nothing I wouldn't do just to make them smile, or to see them laugh," he shook his head- he really _was_ a sap. _"I love them."_

His eyes downcast as the smile slowly faded. He could hear Rhodey trying to interject. "I just wish it was the other way too, maybe if..." he quickly shook his head. "That's stupid, why would they want to be with me?"

"Mr. Stark?"

A quiet voice came from the lab doors and Tony's head snapped to the side. At the entrance stood Peter, looking at him with large, devastated eyes. Shuri stood next to him, her eyes glistening as she pressed her lips together. Harley stood at the back, eyes wide and mouth parted, his expression as though he had witnessed a gruesome accident. 

"I was trying to tell you..." Rhodey tried from beside hime, but his head was buzzing. _Did... did they hear what he said?_

_Oh no._

"Mr. Stark?" Peter said again, his voice cracking slightly. Tony could see the kid's bottom lip quiver faintly, and now he wanted to scream at himself. Why did he _always_ have to fuck things up? 

"Yeah, kid?" he replied calmly.

"Did you... do you really think that way?" Peter's voice was soft, broken. "That we're just here because of the money?"

"Peter-"

"That we're not here just to spend time with you, work with you? That we don't _care for you?"_

His voice had slowly risen in a crescendo, eyes fiery and fists clenched. Tony shrunk back in his chair. He saw Peter take a step forward, but a hand reached out and gripped his shoulder, and Harley stepped out from behind.

"Mr. T..." he started. Harley wasn't as emote as Peter or Shuri, but he could hear the unmistakable wretched tone that his voice betrayed. "I... I don't know what to say."

"You... really think we're here because we want fame and the cash? Because I can assure you, I have no intentions like that."

Tony looked into his eyes. _Yeah right, kiddo._ He ignored the pang of hope in his heart.

"I come here because I enjoy spending time with you, old man. Because this place is fun. _You're_ fun. And I get to meet Pete and Shuri, my only two best friends."

He looked at Tony with the same determined eyes that James Rhodes had looked at him with when he had promised a teenage Tony Stark that he would always take care of him in an MIT dorm room.

"I come here because this place feels like home."

Tony's eyes bored into Harley's, channeling focus. Harley was never very open about his home life.

"At home, after Dad left, it's always been Mom, me and Trisha. I've had to bear with the responsibilities of home every time because Mom is mostly mentally AWOL. So I gotta take care of Trish and get her ready for school and everything."

Harley's hands were stuffed in the pockets of his jeans, his voice plain and nonchalant, trying to make what he was saying seem as though it was no big deal.

"So whenever I come here, I feel free. I get to hang out with the other two, and I get to work on cool projects with you. Being down here in the lab has to be one of the greatest things I can ever wish for. When you teach me stuff, it makes sense. You're good at teaching. You're fun to hang out with. You're... _awesome."_

Tony could feel his ears get red. He scratched the nape of his neck. "It's no biggie," he muttered.

"You're kind, and wonderful, and a great guy. You're..."

Harley paused while Tony got slightly more flustered. "Can I be honest?"

"S-sure," Tony said.

"You're like a dad I've never had."

Tony jolted in his seat, as his eyes immediately snapped wide. _What?_

"You're like a dad I've never had," Harley said, a bit more confidence creeping into his words. "You've taken care of me, given me a second home, provided me with education. You're more of a dad than my father had ever been."

A painful lump grew in his throat. Tony swallowed.

He searched Harley's face, to see if there were any signs of deceit or pretence, but the teen's face was bare of any guard, his eyes filled with truth. Tony could feel his own eyes get wet.

"I..." words failed him. He blinked hard, driving the wetness away. "Thank you." 

"He's not just saying it," Shuri's voice made hime look up. She stepped forward, standing next to Harley. 

"This place does feel like a destress haven," she said. "Things at Wakanda have been a little stressful ever since Dad... died."

"After his.. death, T'Challa had to take up all of the responsibility of Wakanda. He is handling the government, financial business, the infrastructure building, production line, public issues, as well as palace duties. After the Civil War, presence of Wakanda has been known, so we are also trying to keep against intruders. There is a lot of stress on my brother, but you... you're helping him out. You help our kingdom on keeping the government in reins, providing ideas and infinite help. You are a very kind and selfless man, Tony Stark. We couldn't be more grateful."

Tony heard Shuri speak, and he could feel his heart grow heavy at hearing about the former king's death. It really had been a harsh impact on the Wakandian kingdom, and Tony knew how stressed the young prince had been. One of the main reason Tony had offered his help was because he knew exactly how it felt. After Howard's death in the car crash, Tony had an entire empire dropped onto his shoulders which he had to continue without choice. He had had a rough time navigating through the choppy waters, he didn't want someone else to face that too. Which was shy he was more than ready to help T'Challa out.

"When I come here, like Harley said, I get to hang out with him and Peter, and I don't really have many friends, so they are my only ones too. I don't come here for any fame or money- I don't need any. I come here because it feels _nice_ to be here. To be with you and learn cool new things, make new inventions. It's fun to prank the Avengers in the towers, and go on road trips with Uncle Rhodey. I like being with you."

"Ever since Dad died, things have been undoubtedly hard, and not just politically. I miss Dad a lot, and so does T'Challa. But ever since I've met you..."

Shuri interlocked and unlocked her fingers.

"I can't say that the pain is completely gone, but being with you makes me miss him less. I can't say you completely fill in his role, but... it's close. You're like Dad, you remind me of him too- smart, witty, quirky and a genius."

She smiled. "You... I never really realised it, but you're like a Dad to me too, Tony."

Tony could feel his heart grow painfully big. He couldn't speak, only return her smile, hoping it conveyed how he felt. With the glitter in her eyes, it must have done the job.

Peter didn't bother to speak; he crossed the room, his eyes shining as he planted himself right in front of him.

"I've had 2 father figure in my life- Dad, and Uncle Ben. And I've lost both of them."

Tony dropped his gaze to his shoes.

"Then I met you."

The tone in Peter's voice made him look back up.

"When I first met you, I have to admit, I was nervous as heck. I mean, I had my life-role model right in front of me!"

Tony knew that he had always been a role-model for the kid, but Peter had never openly admitted it.

"And as the more I knew you, the better I got to know you. From my role model, you turned into my sort-of mentor, then my established mentor, then... my friend. Then you became more."

He saw Peter swallow.

"You've always been like a Dad to me, Mr. Stark. Always taking care of me, making sure that I don't get myself killed during patrol, making sure I get my sleep and breaks. Then you introduce me to Harley and Shuri, who have personally been more than friends to me- they feel more like family."

Harley and Shuri nodded.

"You've all been like family to me. So don't you ever think-" Peter glared at Tony with anger boiling behind his eyes. "-that I'm here for your money. I'm here because I love being with you, because you're the best Dad I could ever ask for."

Then Peter did something that always took Tony by surprise- he hugged him tightly.

The kid leaned forward and tightly wrapped his around around Tony, and buried his face into the crook of Tony's neck. Tony stood up, and let the kid cling to him.

"I love you Dad," Peter sniffled into his shoulder, and Tony let himself smile. He could feel tears at the verge of breaking out of his eyes, and he let them too. A drop slid down his face but he couldn't care less. Then two more pairs of hands wrapped around him.

"We all love you, old man," Harley said.

"We always have, and we always will," Shuri added.

Then a 4th pair of hands wrapped themselves from behind him.

"So you guys just gonna forget your Uncle Rhodey? I see how it is."

They all laughed, and Tony let the tears roll down his face, and let himself be hugged. He was smack centre in a circle of love, and he let himself be.

"I love you too," he whispered, holding them all tight. He closed his eyes.

_This is family._

**Author's Note:**

> There we go! One chappie down, 3 more to go!  
> I used a Google translator for the English to Italian translations, so I'm sorry if the translations are butchered!  
> If you wanna know the English translation to the Italian poem that Maria sang, here ya go-  
> "Lullaby, lullaby, ooh,  
> Who will I give this baby to?  
> If I give him to the old hag,  
> For a week she will keep him, ahh.  
> If I give him to the bogeyman,  
> For a whole year he'll keep him,  
> Lullaby, lullaby, eeee  
> I will keep this baby for me!"
> 
> I noticed how all 3 of the kids have lost their parental figures, Tony is the best dad ever (so are Scott n Clint- Avengers dad squad!), so I just had to throw that bit in. It was just too good!
> 
> If you were wondering, that 'where the hell are Edwin and Ana Jarvis?', don't worry, I'll talk about them soon! Prob next chappie itself! I haven't forgotten them- they're awesome.
> 
> Also, if you're enjoying this fic, think 'bout throwing in a kudos. Comments make my day :D


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